After five years back home in Russia
Logan Cooke Jersey , Ilya Kovalchuk is ready to resume his Stanley Cup chase with the Los Angeles Kings.
The high-scoring forward agreed to a three-year, $18.75 million deal with the Kings on Saturday, choosing Los Angeles over several interested teams for his
return to the NHL.
The 35-year-old Kovalchuk scored 816 points in 816 career games for the Atlanta Thrashers and the New Jersey Devils before leaving North America in 2013
for the Kontinental Hockey League’s SKA St. Petersburg. He led the KHL in
scoring last season, and he was the MVP of the Olympic tournament in Pyeongchang
while propelling the ”Olympic Athletes from Russia” to a gold medal.
”He gives us an added element of skill and scoring, along with a desire to win,” Kings general manager Rob Blake said.
Boston and San Jose were among the suitors for Kovalchuk, but the Kings made a top-dollar offer to add him to a lineup that could use another dependable
goal-scorer. Kovalchuk is likely to be particularly important on the power play
for the Kings, who ranked in the middle of the NHL standings in most team
scoring categories.
Kovalchuk was the first Russian to be the No. 1 pick in the NHL draft when Atlanta chose him in 2001. He quickly became one of the NHL’s most consistent
scorers with his wicked shot and hockey sense. He spent nearly eight years with
the Thrashers and 3 seasons with the Devils
Doug Flutie Jersey , who acquired him in a trade in February 2010.
Kovalchuk will forever be the top scorer in the history of the Thrashers, who moved to Winnipeg one season after trading him to New Jersey. He shared the
Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal-scorer in 2004 with Rick Nash and
Jarome Iginla, yet his 41 goals that season were only the fifth-best total
during a career in which he posted a pair of 52-goal seasons for the
Thrashers.
Kovalchuk had little playoff success in his NHL career until 2012, when he reached the Stanley Cup Final with the Devils after leading the Eastern
Conference playoffs in scoring. New Jersey lost the Final in six games to the
Kings, with Kovalchuk scoring only one empty-net goal in the series.
The Kings and Kovalchuk have had mutual interest for many years. Los Angeles pursued him in free agency in 2010 before Kovalchuk got a massive contract to
stay with the Devils.
Just three seasons into a 15-year, $100 million contract with New Jersey, Kovalchuk abruptly left the NHL for St. Petersburg amid complaints about North
American taxes and the distance from his family. Kovalchuk and his wife have
four children.
He won two KHL championships with St. Petersburg, and he scored 141 points in 113 games over the past two seasons against the KHL’s lesser competition.
Kovalchuk became a five-time Olympian in February
Star Lotulelei Jersey , when he scored five goals in six games for the Russians in the watered-down Pyeongchang tournament, which included no current
NHL players.
—
Nicholas Castellanos busted out of his slump in a big way.
Castellanos homered twice and Jose Iglesias hit a tiebreaking RBI single in Detroit’s two-run eighth, helping the Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox 7-5 on
Saturday for their fourth straight win.
Castellanos hit a three-run drive in the third and a two-run shot in the fifth. It was his first multihomer game since Aug. 22 against the Yankees and
fourth of his career.
The slugger went 1 for 21 with eight strikeouts in his previous five games.
”The ball jumped out of the ballpark,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. ”He hit one opposite. He can do that. When he starts getting away from that,
starts pulling too much, he can struggle. Him going the other way is a good sign
that he’s gonna be able to drive the ball both ways.”
The Tigers blew a 5-0 lead but recovered in time to improve to 7-1 against the White Sox this season. Buck Farmer (3-3) pitched a scoreless inning for the
win.
Charlie Tilson drove in two runs for Chicago, which has dropped three in a row. Kevan Smith had two hits and scored a run.
Tilson hit a two-run single off Jordan Zimmermann in the fifth and Jose Abreu tied it at 5 with a sacrifice fly in the sixth, but the Tigers went ahead to
stay in the eighth.
Victor Martinez sparked the winning rally with a leadoff single against Jace Fry (0-1). Bruce Rondon then came in and walked John Hicks. JaCoby Jones popped
up a bunt and Rondon dove for the ball
Trey Burton Jerseyl , but it trickled out of his glove to load the bases.
With the infield playing in, Iglesias hit a dribbler up the middle that bounced off second baseman Yoan Moncada’s glove for a run-scoring infield hit.
Rondon then threw four straight balls to Niko Goodrum, forcing in another
run.
”Bruce ran into a little trouble,” Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. ”Great diving attempt on the catch and it came out of his glove onto the ground,
causing a fumble.”
Shane Greene worked the ninth for his 19th save and fourth in four days.
Lucas Giolito pitched 5 1/3 innings for Chicago, allowing five runs and six hits. The right-hander is just 1-3 in his last five starts.
”Two bad pitches to a really good hitter kind of did me in for the game right there,” Giolito said. ”I’ve just gotta kinda lock in a little bit more.”
Zimmermann was charged with four runs and four hits in five innings in his first start after missing six weeks with a right shoulder impingement. He
retired his first 12 batters before the White Sox broke through in the
fifth.
”I got a little out of whack in the stretch,” Zimmermann said. ”It was the first time all game I was there. They started swinging early
Derrick Kindred Jersey , too, and we just didn’t make the adjustments quite quick enough.”
ROSTER MOVES
To make room for Zimmermann on the active roster, right-hander Artie Lewicki was optioned to Triple-A Toledo.
AMERICAN DREAM
Iglesias arrived late for the opener on Friday because he was sworn in as a naturalized U.S. citizen earlier in the day in Detroit. The 28-year-old
infielder was born in Cuba and signed as an amateur free agent with the Boston
Red Sox in 2009.
”Yesterday I got in about 5 or 5:30, all the way from Detroit,” Iglesias said. ”But it was worth it.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Tigers: LHP Francisco Liriano (right hamstring strain) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Sunday.
White Sox: OF Leury Garcia (left knee sprain) was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Charlotte on Saturday night. … OF Avisail Garcia (right
hamstring strain) will continue his rehab assignment with Charlotte on Sunday
following a day off on Saturday. … RHP Miguel Gonzalez (rotator cuff
inflammation) threw 25 pitches off the mound in his most rigorous workout since
going on the DL in April.
UP NEXT
LHP Blaine Hardy (2-1, 3.55 ERA) takes the mound as the Tigers go for the sweep on Sunday. Hardy has allowed two runs or less in five of his six starts.
James Shields (2-7, 4.63 ERA) goes for the White Sox.
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